U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced the allocation of $5.55 billion in support of Ukraine under the President’s arms reduction authority, which will allow for the transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine and then replenish U.S. stockpiles.
“Today, I am ordering a $5.55 billion reduction in the remaining authority to support Ukraine’s defense. The United States and over 50 countries stand united with Ukraine, and this support will ensure continued strong support in the months ahead,” he wrote on social media site X.
In addition to this money, U.S. President Joe Biden officially announced an additional $2.4 billion, bringing the total amount of additional defense assistance to Ukraine to $7.9 billion, for which President Zelenskyy thanked the United States earlier today.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will announce more than $1 billion in new aid for Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, September 6, CNN reports, citing a senior State Department official.
According to CNN, the US Secretary of State arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with key Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The TV channel also notes that Blinken’s visit is an opportunity for the United States and Ukraine to unite ahead of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) later this month, a senior State Department official traveling with Blinken told reporters.
“The Ukrainians have an important mission in New York – to continue to explain to their allies and partners around the world what’s going on and their continued need for support. And it is important for us to continue to lead this global effort to support them. Being able to consult and agree before we get to New York is very, very important,” the official said.
According to media reports, Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday morning after an overnight train ride from Poland. This is his third visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Monday that the US embassy in Kyiv could resume work in the next “couple of weeks.”
“As for the embassy, next week our diplomats will return to Ukraine, then we will begin the process of considering the opening of the embassy itself in Kyiv,” Blinken told reporters in Poland after a visit to Ukraine.
“I think it will happen within a couple of weeks,” he added, broadcasting the briefing was led by NBC News.
The US Secretary of State pointed out that Washington is acting “carefully” on this issue, and ensuring the safety of American diplomatic personnel remains a priority.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said that the United States will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine.
The United States has provided constant support to Ukraine, including with the aim of strengthening its defense capabilities. Only recently, this assistance has amounted to about $1 billion, Blinken said on Sunday at a joint press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Chisinau.
He said that the United States will continue to provide assistance, including by planes through Poland.
At the same time, he again called for peace and did not say that the United States needed to maintain diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation.
He described the situation in Ukraine as the biggest challenge faced by the region, including Moldova, over the past 30 years.
He said that the United States will provide assistance to all countries that are the first to face this challenge, having a common border with Ukraine. The United States will allocate $2.75 billion for this, including assistance to countries supporting Ukrainian refugees, Blinken said.
Blinken arrived late the evening before on a visit to Moldova. On Sunday, he held meetings with the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova.
Issues related to Ukraine and Russia’s actions continue to be in the focus of the United States administration, regardless of where its employees are, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
“That remains front and center in what we’re doing and indeed what I continue to do even as we’re heading to Australia,” Blinken told reporters accompanying him to Canberra aboard the plane.
“I’ve been on the phone during a chunk of this trip talking to various counterparts with some focus on Russia-Ukraine. I spent some time talking to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as well,” he said.
“And this is part of, as we’ve tabulated, with foreign counterparts something like 200-plus engagements just in recent weeks – phone calls, video conferences, in-person meetings, where we have been working to coordinate all of our partners in standing up to this Russian aggression directed toward Ukraine,” Blinken said.
“We have been engaged in a two-track strategy where we have, on the one hand, been pursuing diplomacy, but at the same time building up strong deterrence to dissuade Russia from taking aggressive action,” the US Secretary of State said.
The visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ukraine and Germany will take place on January 18 to 20, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday.
“In Kyiv, Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to reinforce the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
According to the document, on January 20, Blinken will travel to Berlin, where he is scheduled to meet with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
In turn, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said that on January 19, Blinken will pay a visit to Ukraine at the invitation of Foreign Minister Kuleba.
“The visit will be a continuation of close coordination between Ukraine and the United States in order to deter Russia from further aggression,” the ministry said.
It is noted that Kuleba and Blinken will hold talks on the further implementation of a comprehensive containment package for Russia, practical support for Ukraine by the United States, and active diplomatic efforts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.”
The parties will also discuss issues of strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States in the areas of security, trade, investment and others.
